Unconventional Parent

I have come to realize that I am not the conventional parent, I don't do things by the book or the way my parents did or how your supposed to do it...I do it my way, the way I've done things my whole life. I am not saying I don't read 'how to' articles or that I don't ask for advice or help from a seasoned parent but I can't say that I don't see their point and then tweak it just a bit. I am pretty sure that every milestone my son and daughter have passed was accomplished through out of the box thinking. 

My perfect example is sleep training my 2 year old son...everyone and I mean EVERYONE had an opinion on how I should go about doing it. I can't even tell you how many times I heard I would regret my methods and how I was spoiling him or ruining his independence but I just couldn't do it the way the "experts" say it should be done. I can't listen to my child cry and weep because he wants to be near me, not because he got in trouble or didn't get his way but really cry for hours because he was alone in a cell we call a crib. I felt more like I was punishing him for not learning how to put himself to sleep...a task he should somehow have learned before speaking, feeding himself, sitting, standing, walking or knowing the difference between make believe and reality. Why do we have so much patience and encouragement in teaching our children to crawl and so little in teaching them how to rest? 

If you have met my son then you know how sweet he is. If you are one of the few lucky ones who have had the privilege of spending a night with him then you know better than anyone how precious he is during bedtime and even more so when he gets up in the morning. I did it the "wrong" way according to most but my son did not sleep in his own crib until he was 18 months old! 

We are one of the only species who has live birth and then make our babies sleep in a separate area from us...makes you think a bit right? Cats, dogs, cows, wolves, lions, tigers...all keep their babies  "kangarooing" as they call it in the hospital, until their babies are in adolescence. Not really sure I want to share my bed that long but if I am going to invest in making and raising a perfect little person then I can sacrifice for 18 months. Now I'm not saying everyone should do this....I am an EXTREMELY light sleeper, a small movement wakes me up, so I never had a fear of rolling onto him and I never put covers on him. I am saying, if you are a new mom or dad, read the articles, take the millions of pieces of advice BUT then do it your way....pick the way you think is best for your baby! You will make mistakes but your smart choices will outweigh them. Raise your child the way you want and treat them how you would have wanted to be treated, they may be young but they deserve respect as well. 

I have many more parenting "dont's" but I'll spare you all those terrible details and just keep posting an astronomical number of pictures of my two life prizes! I am going to continue to do things the "wrong" way and enjoy every minute of the beautiful children I am raising!